Grand Beach, Michigan
Encyclopedia
Grand Beach is a village in Berrien County
of the U.S. state
of Michigan
. As of the 2000 census, the village population was 221. The village is within New Buffalo Township
on the shore of Lake Michigan
near to the Michigan-Indiana
border.
, the village has a total area of 0.9 square miles (2.3 km²), all land.
of 2000, there were 221 people, 108 households, and 69 families residing in the village. The population density
was 257.6 per square mile (99.2/km²). There were 340 housing units at an average density of 396.4 per square mile (152.6/km²). The racial makeup of the village was 98.19% White, 1.36% African American, and 0.45% from two or more races.
There were 108 households out of which 13.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.2% were married couples
living together, 2.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.1% were non-families. 30.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 16.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.05 and the average family size was 2.54.
In the village the population was spread out with 13.1% under the age of 18, 2.7% from 18 to 24, 14.5% from 25 to 44, 42.5% from 45 to 64, and 27.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 56 years. For every 100 females there were 85.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.1 males.
The median income for a household in the village was $61,875, and the median income for a family was $103,369. Males had a median income of $86,188 versus $36,875 for females. The per capita income
for the village was $51,788. None of the families and 1.8% of the population were living below the poverty line.
to Grand Beach station, rent small cottages for a day or two, eat in the dining hall (located at the corner of Lakeview and Whitewood), and enjoy bathing and golfing.
The beach has always been important to Grand Beach. An entertainment pier was built out into Lake Michigan
and offered dining and even dancing in the 1920s. The pier has long since disappeared, though its supporting posts are sometimes visible when the lake levels are low. The Golfmore Hotel was built as a luxury hotel just across the creek in Michiana Shores
, Indiana
. A footbridge over the creek linked the hotel to the pier area. The hotel was an important part of the social life of the beach in the 1920s, even in the winter when it hosted ski jumping events. The hotel burned down around 1939.
The public golf course has been an integral part of village life at Grand Beach since its establishment. At one time there were 27 holes, but for many decades the course has been a charming 9-hole course that runs from the club house down to the village gate and back. In the 1950s the village hall moved from the old dining hall structure on the lake to the newly built golf club house / community center.
Lake levels have had an impact on the focus of village social activities. In the early 1950s and during much of the 1970s lake levels were high and beach frontage minimal. From the mid-80s the beach has been wider and more people have thus been able to enjoy it.
Three Frank Lloyd Wright
homes were built in Grand Beach. One of them, the Ernest Vosburgh Summer House (built in 1916) on Ravine Road near Crescent and Royal still retains much of its original design.
The 1950s brought relative decline as all of Southwest Michigan was bypassed by Chicago
ans in favor of more exotic resorts. However, beginning in the 1980s Grand Beach and nearby New Buffalo has undergone a renaissance as a charming, unpretentious, yet accessible resort area. The former Forest Beach YWCA camp was developed as a gated community with multi-million dollar homes, thus giving the area a slightly more upscale image.
In recent decades Grand Beach has probably been most famous because of its association with Chicago's Daley
family.
Berrien County, Michigan
Berrien County is a county located in the extreme southwest of the U.S. state of Michigan. It is included in the Niles-Benton Harbor, Michigan Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of the 2010 census, the population was 156,813. The county seat is St. Joseph....
of the U.S. state
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
of Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
. As of the 2000 census, the village population was 221. The village is within New Buffalo Township
New Buffalo Township, Michigan
New Buffalo Township is a civil township of Berrien County in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2000 census, the township population was 2,468....
on the shore of Lake Michigan
Lake Michigan
Lake Michigan is one of the five Great Lakes of North America and the only one located entirely within the United States. It is the second largest of the Great Lakes by volume and the third largest by surface area, after Lake Superior and Lake Huron...
near to the Michigan-Indiana
Indiana
Indiana is a US state, admitted to the United States as the 19th on December 11, 1816. It is located in the Midwestern United States and Great Lakes Region. With 6,483,802 residents, the state is ranked 15th in population and 16th in population density. Indiana is ranked 38th in land area and is...
border.
Geography
According to the United States Census BureauUnited States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
, the village has a total area of 0.9 square miles (2.3 km²), all land.
Demographics
As of the censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 2000, there were 221 people, 108 households, and 69 families residing in the village. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 257.6 per square mile (99.2/km²). There were 340 housing units at an average density of 396.4 per square mile (152.6/km²). The racial makeup of the village was 98.19% White, 1.36% African American, and 0.45% from two or more races.
There were 108 households out of which 13.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.2% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 2.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.1% were non-families. 30.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 16.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.05 and the average family size was 2.54.
In the village the population was spread out with 13.1% under the age of 18, 2.7% from 18 to 24, 14.5% from 25 to 44, 42.5% from 45 to 64, and 27.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 56 years. For every 100 females there were 85.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.1 males.
The median income for a household in the village was $61,875, and the median income for a family was $103,369. Males had a median income of $86,188 versus $36,875 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the village was $51,788. None of the families and 1.8% of the population were living below the poverty line.
History
Grand Beach was founded by the Grand Beach Company around 1903. It was conceived of partially as a short-stay resort. People would take the Michigan Central RailroadMichigan Central Railroad
The Michigan Central Railroad was originally incorporated in 1846 to establish rail service between Detroit, Michigan and St. Joseph, Michigan. The railroad later operated in the states of Michigan, Indiana, and Illinois in the United States, and the province of Ontario in Canada...
to Grand Beach station, rent small cottages for a day or two, eat in the dining hall (located at the corner of Lakeview and Whitewood), and enjoy bathing and golfing.
The beach has always been important to Grand Beach. An entertainment pier was built out into Lake Michigan
Lake Michigan
Lake Michigan is one of the five Great Lakes of North America and the only one located entirely within the United States. It is the second largest of the Great Lakes by volume and the third largest by surface area, after Lake Superior and Lake Huron...
and offered dining and even dancing in the 1920s. The pier has long since disappeared, though its supporting posts are sometimes visible when the lake levels are low. The Golfmore Hotel was built as a luxury hotel just across the creek in Michiana Shores
Michiana Shores, Indiana
Michiana Shores is a town in Springfield and Michigan townships, LaPorte County, Indiana, United States. The population was 313 at the 2010 census. It is included in the Michigan City, Indiana-La Porte, Indiana Metropolitan Statistical Area...
, Indiana
Indiana
Indiana is a US state, admitted to the United States as the 19th on December 11, 1816. It is located in the Midwestern United States and Great Lakes Region. With 6,483,802 residents, the state is ranked 15th in population and 16th in population density. Indiana is ranked 38th in land area and is...
. A footbridge over the creek linked the hotel to the pier area. The hotel was an important part of the social life of the beach in the 1920s, even in the winter when it hosted ski jumping events. The hotel burned down around 1939.
The public golf course has been an integral part of village life at Grand Beach since its establishment. At one time there were 27 holes, but for many decades the course has been a charming 9-hole course that runs from the club house down to the village gate and back. In the 1950s the village hall moved from the old dining hall structure on the lake to the newly built golf club house / community center.
Lake levels have had an impact on the focus of village social activities. In the early 1950s and during much of the 1970s lake levels were high and beach frontage minimal. From the mid-80s the beach has been wider and more people have thus been able to enjoy it.
Three Frank Lloyd Wright
Frank Lloyd Wright
Frank Lloyd Wright was an American architect, interior designer, writer and educator, who designed more than 1,000 structures and completed 500 works. Wright believed in designing structures which were in harmony with humanity and its environment, a philosophy he called organic architecture...
homes were built in Grand Beach. One of them, the Ernest Vosburgh Summer House (built in 1916) on Ravine Road near Crescent and Royal still retains much of its original design.
The 1950s brought relative decline as all of Southwest Michigan was bypassed by Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
ans in favor of more exotic resorts. However, beginning in the 1980s Grand Beach and nearby New Buffalo has undergone a renaissance as a charming, unpretentious, yet accessible resort area. The former Forest Beach YWCA camp was developed as a gated community with multi-million dollar homes, thus giving the area a slightly more upscale image.
In recent decades Grand Beach has probably been most famous because of its association with Chicago's Daley
Daley family
The Daley family is an American political family from Chicago that is deeply entrenched the vast political machine system of Illinois. Two family members have held the office of the Mayor of Chicago....
family.